BELMAR — The Belmar Housing Authority (BHA) Board of Commissioners, during the workshop discussion of the July 1 meeting, heard further discussion about a contentious proposal from borough administration offering the senior housing entity to become part of the borough’s affordable housing plan.
The commissioners, as well as several residents during public comment, voiced general dissatisfaction for the proposal and raised concerns. While thoroughly discussed at Monday night’s meeting, the commissioners’ official response to the borough’s proposal is expected at the BHA’s next meeting, scheduled for Monday, Aug. 5.
At Monday night’s meeting, Mayor Gerald Buccafusco, along with the borough’s redevelopment attorney Leslie London and previous borough planner Jennifer Beahm, approached the commissioners to discuss the proposal and answer any questions.
PROPOSAL
The BHA first heard of the administration’s proposal at its June 3 meeting from Mayor Buccafusco, who had issued a letter dated May 21 proposing that the BHA pass a resolution to adjust its current admissions and occupancy policy to become part of the borough’s affordable housing plan. At that time, the letter had not been distributed to the commissioners but has since been reviewed for its July meeting.
The proposal would see a portion of the senior and handicapped residence facility’s 50 units be designated as affordable housing to be considered in the borough’s affordable housing plan to help meet third-round housing obligations with the Fair Share Housing Center. The cap on how many credits can be used for senior housing from the BHA is set at 24.
In order to do so, the BHA would have to broaden its residency requirements to Monmouth, Mercer and Ocean counties, where it currently has a local preference for Belmar. This would potentially be done by resolution to amend the BHA’s admissions and occupancy policy. The potential change in policy would not affect current residents of the building and would only affect future residents on the waitlist for the potential 24 units.
As part of the borough’s affordable housing plan, BHA would have access to the borough’s affordable housing trust fund, which could be used to assist with needed structural repairs and improvements to the building.
If approved, the BHA’s waitlist would be split into two separate waitlists – one run by the BHA with a Belmar preference and one run by an administrative agent hired by the borough to income qualify the 24 potential units only when they become vacant. The BHA would be able to keep its age requirement, however its in-person interview requirement would be removed in place of a lottery system for those units.
Currently, as BHA Executive Director Paul DeSantis confirmed, the closed waitlist from November 2019 until June 2020 has 83 applicants in line. While Belmar residents currently have priority, none of the applicants on the waitlist are from Belmar at the moment.
“The units are affordable, the residents are income qualified, they will absolutely not be displaced from the unit at all…I understand the waitlist is closed, the waitlist can remain closed as long as it needs to be, but the request is would this board act in the affirmative to lift that residency preference from at least 24 of its 50 units,” Beahm said.
The BHA’s attorney was not available to attend Monday night’s meeting.
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